Survival Tips for the Aging Independent Filmmaker

Yes. You know who you are.

I refer you to a very interesting New York Times article by John Clark revealing survival strategies of our favorite filmmakers during some very lean years. You remember those years, don't you?

The full text can be viewed here. Below is a snippet.

Quote:

"If I were starting out now, I would be a producer for the Internet," Mr. Hope (producer Ted Hope, ed.) said.

Snip

The indie-film godfather John Sayles ("Return of the Secaucus Seven") takes frequent jobs as a script doctor for other people's films, just because they pay the bills. Other filmmakers, like the documentarian D. A. Pennebaker, eke out a living from the royalties on their earlier work. Mr. Pennebaker said that he and his partner Richard Leacock for years lived off the proceeds of their music documentaries "Don't Look Back" and "Monterey Pop."

"They kept us in business," said Mr. Pennebaker, now 81. "Still do. How we made it through the 70's is a mystery to me. I don't know how we survived."

I hope you are encouraged to read the full article. It appears as a text document in my online word processor for accessibility reasons.